Saturday, October 20, 2012

A Civil War Quilt?

A few months ago I saw this quilt for sale in an online auction.

It didn't last very long but I copied the photos.

On the back you can see that each of the blocks was quilted and bound before being set together, what we today call potholder quilts. This technique was done during the Civil War by sewing groups making quilts for soldiers---but you also see it in other eras.

I like the idea of doing the blocks and quilting, then putting it together. I notice what looks like a button in the corners? I used to have a book with a puff quilt that was made in this manner, wonder if that would be warmer and wonder if I still have the pattern. I do love this one, nice variety of blocks from that period.

This is such a coincidence! I just returned an hour ago, from a lecture given by Pam Weeks in Lexington, MA about civil war quilts.....with many examples of the potholder quilts she has studied! It's so interesting to hear the stories, and how these wonderful quilts came to be.

Lynn was generous enough to show it to me. It looked like the center blocks were older than the outer blocks. Maybe a time-span, started during Civil War, finished later. It was a real encyclopedia of techniques.